Captain Abhilasha Barak became the first woman to join the Army Aviation Corps as a helicopter pilot on Wednesday, thirty years after India began inducting women as officers in the armed forces. She completed a year-long course at the Combat Army Aviation Training School in Nashik, Maharashtra, the army said.
Barak is the daughter of a retired colonel and hails from Haryana. In September 2018, she was commissioned into the Army Air Defence Corps. Army Aviation Director General Lieutenant General Ajay Kumar Suri presented her with ‘wings’ together with 36 other army pilots during a valedictory event at the Nashik-based training school, according to the army.
Officials familiar with the situation stated Barak has been assigned to the second flight of the 2072 Army Aviation Squadron, which uses the Dhruv advanced light helicopter (ALH). While women commanders in the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy have long flown helicopters, the army decided in early 2021 to allow them to join its aviation department. Women officers were formerly only assigned to ground roles in army aviation.
Barak’s appointment as the army’s first woman combat aviator comes as the National Defense Academy prepares to induct its first female cadets in June 2022. In October 2021, the Supreme Court issued a landmark decision that allowed women to enter the school. They are now also eligible for long-term commission.
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